discounting

Attention Shoppers: Coupons.com Grabs $30M in Funding From Greylock

Kara Swisher in Commerce on October 3, 2011 at 8:00 am PT

VCs search for a bargain in longtime digital promotions site.

Talk About Discounting: Groupon Gets a Pre-IPO Smackdown

Kara Swisher in Commerce on June 13, 2011 at 6:15 am PT

It has only just announced its IPO plans, but Groupon is already getting a good taste of the brutality of being more public in an increasing series of negative reports aimed at its business prospects and execs, just as the social buying phenom starts to market itself to Wall Street investors.

Brighter’s Jake Winebaum Talks About Tooth-Loving Start-Up (Video)

Kara Swisher in Commerce on June 9, 2011 at 3:16 pm PT

One area of medical care has gotten little attention online has been — wait for it — dental care. But before you click away from this story to avoid thoughts of root canals, it’s the well-funded premise behind the latest start-up called Brighter from longtime online exec Jake Winebaum.

Wanted: Groupon COO. Must Like Cat-Wrangling, Lack of Spotlight and International Travel (Post-Samwer)

Kara Swisher in News on March 29, 2011 at 10:37 am PT

Of all the many job openings in tech, perhaps the most interesting to watch will be who Groupon selects as its next COO, after the recent announcement that it was parting ways with President and COO Rob Solomon. Requirements for running the Chicago-based social buying site: epic cat-wrangling of thousands of employees in far-flung locations; deep marketing and advertising prowess; high-level technology, product, mobile and e-commerce chops; and international experience. Also, please stand in the shadows.

Exclusive: Andreessen Horowitz Invests $80 Million in Twitter

Kara Swisher in News on February 9, 2011 at 11:13 am PT

Andreessen Horowitz has invested more than $80 million in Twitter via purchasing stock in secondary markets. When called about it by BoomTown, a spokeswoman at the high-profile Silicon Valley venture firm confirmed the purchase. The move is an interesting one, since Andreessen Horowitz was not part of the recent $200 million round on venture funding at the San Francisco microblogging company, led by Kleiner Perkins and which valued it at $3.75 billion.

First Half of Groupon Funding Done–DST, T. Rowe Price, Fidelity, Capital Group and Morgan Stanley

Kara Swisher in News on January 7, 2011 at 12:01 am PT

Groupon has officially raised half of a $950 million funding, getting $500 million from a range of top-drawer investors, said sources close to the situation. Those investors include Russia’s DST Global, T. Rowe Price, Fidelity, Capital Group and Morgan Stanley. It’s unclear how much each investor has put in and who will make up the next tranche of funding, which will also close imminently.

Q: Why No Twitter Board Seat for Kleiner's John Doerr? A: His Google Board Seat (Plus, Is the Star VC Looking at Spotify and Groupon Next?)

Kara Swisher in News on December 16, 2010 at 5:14 am PT

Star venture capitalist John Doerr of Kleiner Perkins paid $150 million for a stake in Twitter and all he didn’t get was a board seat. That’s due to another directorship he has at search giant Google. Maybe Doerr will get one at Spotify or Groupon, where he could be investing next.

Google's Groupon Offer: $5.3 Billion, With $700 Million Earnout

Kara Swisher in News on November 29, 2010 at 10:58 pm PT

According to sources close to the situation, Google has offered $5.3 billion for Groupon, in what would be its largest acquisition yet, if completed. Sources said the deal for the Chicago-based social buying site seems likely to be struck, even as early as tomorrow, although it certainly could fall apart right up to the end. But, if done, it will move the search giant instantly to the top spot in local commerce online and give it huge troves of data about consumer buying habits and merchant information across the globe.

If Google Buys Groupon, It'd Be a Windfall for Investors, Bankers…and Regulators?

Kara Swisher in News on November 29, 2010 at 5:33 am PT

If Google does manage to close the deal to buy Groupon–acquisition discussions flagged by BoomTown 10 days ago–it will be at a cost that is likely to be much more than the $2.5 billion price tag being floated in the latest batch of rumors. It’s not just that the deal will likely come in at a higher number, which will mean a big payoff for investors and bankers involved. It’s because as soon as it purchases the social group buying phenom, the search giant will be buying a whole lot of pricey regulatory scrutiny too.

LivingSocial's Tim O'Shaughnessy About Local Deals and Not Being Groupon!

Kara Swisher in News on October 19, 2010 at 8:09 am PT

Yesterday, before LivingSocial announced the acquisition of the social adventure company Urban Escapes, BoomTown sat down to talk with its CEO and co-founder Tim O’Shaughnessy. The entrepreneur has worked at AOL, as well as at Steve Case’s Revolution Health in Washington, D.C., before moving on to the local deals start-up that competes head-to-head with Groupon, which has garnered much of the attention in the space.